MG - Thanks so much for digging through my very long and post and responding :-) You've cleared up some confusion for me and I greatly appreciate it.

One more question, if you should revisit this thread:

What are the chances that this is both Hashi's and Graves, and how can I know for sure (ok, it was a combo question)? I figured it was just Hashi's, but I've still got SO much to learn!

Re: ferritin - the Floradix I am taking is ferrous gluconate and is a liquid. I know little of such things but saw it recommended by some thyroid patient somewhere as a remedy that worked well for boosting her own levels when nothing else would, so I figured I'd try it. So far it doesn't seem to have had an adverse effect on me, digestively. My only complaint is that it's vile and I have to knock it back with huge gulps of purple grape juice just to get it down my gullet ;-)

No OB, no PCP - I do not have a regular doctor of any kind. Before this, I hadn't been to a doc since my son was born 9.5 years ago. I completely abhor anything to do with doctors, exams, needles, etc. I'm seriously bad with all that. This is totally my idea of hell *lol* This is why I want to scream when anyone hints that any of this is in my head - I definitely DO NOT want anything to be wrong with me, ever, cos that means DOCTORS!

That said, I am looking into getting a primary care doc; I know I do need one. It just seems a Herculean task to find someone who will actually work with me, listen to me, be a partner, treat me with some humanity and compassion - not just dictate to me like I'm an object/set of labs or brush me off. I have no insurance and thanks to this thing wrecking my brain power, I am also presently out of work for all intents and purposes. My savings are depleting fast and it's not feasible for me to bounce around to various doctors to find a decent one. I really can't afford to pay any more of them for their ignorance! That's another reason I am trying to lay all the groundwork, so to speak, for when I do find another. I do intend to find an Armour-friendly doc and see what they say.

Thanks again for your reply; you are a godsend

PS - I love the weekly posts, just caught up with them tonight. I'll be sure to follow those.